The government has set a goal to expand the K-Robot market to a scale of 20 trillion won by 2030 as the future growth engine. A combined investment of over 3 trillion won from both public and private sectors is planned with the objective of deploying one million robots across various industries, including caregiving and delivery.
On Dec. 14, the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) held an Advanced Robotics Industry Strategy Meeting presided over by Minister Bang Moon-kyu and announced the “Vision and Strategy for the Advanced Robotics Industry.” The focus is on fostering the robotics industry as a new growth engine that can enhance industrial productivity and adapt to demographic shifts, such as the decreasing working-age population.
Advanced robots hold substantial potential not only in traditional manufacturing sectors such as automotive and shipbuilding but also in the defense, aviation, and service industries. Furthermore, securing technological capabilities becomes more achievable with a robust foundation in domestic upstream industries like semiconductors, batteries, and information technology. According to the MOTIE, the global market size is expected to grow rapidly from US$28.2 billion in 2021 to US$83.1 billion by 2030.
The government aims to solidify the domestic K-Robot ecosystem first and seek international expansion, targeting to elevate the market size from around 5.6 trillion won in 2021 to over 20 trillion won by 2030. To achieve this goal, there are plans for a joint public-private investment of “3 trillion won +α” to collaboratively enhance technology, manpower, and corporate competitiveness.
The government will initially focus on securing eight key technologies, including reducers and autonomous operation. A detailed technology development road map is set to be established by the first half of next year. In terms of workforce development, more than 15,000 specialized robotics professionals will be trained, aligning with the mobility industry, including future vehicles and drones, aiming to reach a total of 50,000 experts. Additionally, the goal is to nurture over 30 intelligent robotics specialist companies with annual revenue exceeding 100 billion won by 2030, an increase from the current five.
Furthermore, the government has set a goal to significantly expand the deployment of over one million robots across various sectors, ranging from manufacturing to logistics and welfare. Specifically, by 2030, the plan is to introduce 300,000 robots each in the care and medical sectors, including nursing homes and hospitals, as well as in the food and beverage self-employment sector, including restaurants and cafes.
The introduction of robots is expected to transform production sites, aiming to increase labor productivity per worker by an average of 3.4% per year and simultaneously reduce industrial accidents. With a predicted decrease of 3.2 million in the working-age population from 2021 to 2030 alone, the collaboration with robots is seen as a strategic response to the changing labor market dynamics.